XWP Season 7: Weighing of the Heart
by Jinxie2013
Summary: Welcome to Season 7 of Xena: Warrior Princess. Will Xena be resurrected? If not, how will Gabrielle live her life? New gods, new characters, and new lives to lead; this is a continuation of my XWP: Post Episode series. You do not have to read that to understand this series, but it wouldn't hurt.
1. Chapter 1

**Weighing of the Heart**

Chapter 1

By Jinxie

End of Season 6: Post Episode 134:

"Gabrielle, that feather is of utmost importance to all Egyptians and gods alike. If you were willing to get it back for me, I'd make it worth your while. Anything you wish for could be yours." He stepped closer to her and whispered "Anything."

"No one can give me what I want." She scoffed as she turned back to the entrance and continued walking to the door.

"I can give you Xena." His voice was confident, but he didn't sound like a sales man. He sounded honest.

She stopped dead in her tracks. Without turning around she replied, "At what cost? I don't like to be indebted to the gods."

"No debt. It would be payment for you returning the feather to me." He walked closer to her as she turned to face him once again.

"I'm not in the mood for games, Anubis." _I just wish I could have had more time with her. Gods I miss her. No gods would help Xena and I without wanting more from us. _She turns on her heels and storms out of the temple, her mind made up. She will have to live her life without Xena.

xxxx

"Gabrielle, I swear to you, I am telling the truth. You could have a chance at getting Xena back. It won't be easy, but I can give you the opportunity." The god followed after her.

She stopped once again, indecision terrorizing her mind. She knew not to trust gods, but something was telling her she could trust this one. "What benefit is it to you to bring Xena back?"

"No benefit to me. Just repayment for a debt I would owe to you. However, Thoth will know plenty of benefits from Xena's return. Perhaps if we talk with him you will have answers to your questions." His eyebrows rose as he waited for her decision.

_I guess it couldn't hurt to hear them out. But should I even get my hopes up? Normally alarms would be going off like crazy about this, but something tells me to trust him._ She nodded her head giving her consent. "Take me to Thoth."

xxxx

Anubis transported Gabrielle to another temple, one dedicated to the god Thoth. Inside the temple, the décor was breath taking. Gold lined the walls with inscriptions and pictures carved into it. One particular etching showed what appeared to be the beginning of the universe, stars and galaxies spread from one wall to another.

"Thoth, please grace us with your presence." Anubis requested in a loud booming voice.

Gabrielle expected a big light show, just like when Anubis had appeared to her earlier. However she was surprised to see an ordinary looking man, with dark brown eyes and very tanned skin, walking through a doorway from the back of the temple. He was dressed in the attire of a wealthy Egyptian, but nothing that spoke of his godliness. "Anubis, to what do I owe this visit?" He looked down at Gabrielle and smiled gently. "I see you have brought a guest."

"This is Gabrielle of Greece."

Thoth bent slightly, then reached out to take Gabrielle's hand. He kissed the back of her knuckles softly; very unlike any god she'd ever met. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Gabrielle. I've heard much about you over the last several years."

Anubis interrupted the moment, not allowing Gabrielle to respond. This did not bother her, as she was speechless anyway. "Thoth, as you know, your wife's feather was stolen from Duat. I've enlisted Gabrielle's help to get it back. She is unsure whether she can trust my repayment of the debt I would owe her for doing this deed."

"I see. And what is it that you have offered her? Obviously you would need my help, otherwise you would not be here." He raised his eyebrow at his fellow god, then winked at Gabrielle.

"He offered me the chance to get Xena back." Gabrielle finally spoke up, wanting to make sure that neither god confused what the goal was in this agreement.

"Xena is in the underworld of Japa, is she not?" He directed this question to Anubis, who nodded the affirmative. "I see. Anubis, would you please excuse Gabrielle and I? I have many things to discuss with her."

"As you wish." Anubis vanished from sight in a bright light that hurt Gabrielle's eyes.

"Sheesh, I like your entrance better, Thoth. It doesn't hurt my eyes so badly." She smiled at him, trying to get on his good side for reasons she couldn't fathom at the moment. There was a nagging voice in her head telling her to give creed to this god.

He chuckled at her then offered her a chair to sit. "Gabrielle, we have much to discuss. Have you seen the current state of Egypt? The fighting, the poverty…"

"I have and am saddened to see it in such a state of disrepair. The last time I was here, it was nothing like this." She looked up into his eyes and saw a sadness there that mimicked her own.

"Yes, I too am saddened. I have to tell you something that may come as a shock to you. I have always felt that Xena was not judged righteously as she should have been. It was not her time to die, but she did anyway."

Gabrielle was indeed a little shocked. "What do you mean not her time to die?" She did her best to keep calm and centered, but her emotions were already running amok.

"She should not have ended up in the underworld of Japa. Something went terribly wrong and due to that there is some chaos. Xena was one of the ways that good was balanced with evil. Having her back from the dead would help balance those scales once again. Egypt is in the most disorder though. The government has shut down all defenses for the people, all help to the impoverished. They are currently on their own while the Egyptian monarchy gets wealthy on the taxes."

"So why don't you step in and do something?" She asked, anger towards gods in general was beginning to boil inside of her.

"The gods of Egypt are different than your Greek Olympians. We do not meddle in the lives of mortals, at least not directly. Even if it's for good, we feel that if we step in sometimes and not others, it's even more unfair. Therefore, I wish to help the people through an indirect way." He sighed as he prepared to tell her his proposal.

"What's your plan?" Gabrielle asked, wanting to get to the heart of how this would include her and Xena.

"If you help Anubis get the feather, I will bring Xena to our underworld so she can be judged."

"How would you get her from where she is now? And why? I'm not just going to help you unless this all makes sense to me somehow. I'm not willing to risk my life if I truly do not get the chance at getting Xena back." She was getting frustrated at the thought of them tricking her. She started to lose her hope that they were honest gods, but she wanted to at least hear them out.

"I'm glad you want to be thorough, Gabrielle. I appreciate that greatly. Right now, we are the strongest gods in the spiritual realm. We became such when the Olympians fell all those years ago. In the underworld of Japa, there is really no strong god to contend with. Since she passed from this realm, there has been a bidding war between the gods to secure her. As you can imagine, Ares has been the most boisterous. He is about to turn it into an actual physical war between the gods. I haven't stepped in yet, because I knew that without you, there would be no point in securing Xena. She would not help Egypt without you. Not only that, but she is unbalanced without you. Which is why we are very happy you have come."

She smiled at him, but wanted him to continue, so she did not respond.

He continued, "I will win her soul, because I am the strongest of all the current gods. No one stands a chance against me. She will come to our underworld and go through our judgment."

The bard could feel a tinge of excitement and hope building in the deepest part of her core.

"Don't get to excited though, I cannot guarantee that she will pass our tests. All I can do is give her the opportunity. If she passes our tests and her heart is lighter than Ma'at's feather, then she will be able to come back to the over world."

"Which is why you need me to help Anubis. The feather is the key to any of this working out." She understood now. Somehow it made sense to her how it all tied together. "Let me get this straight. I get the feather back to Anubis. Xena comes to Duat. Xena is judged by your criteria. If she passes your tests, she can come back to this world. Is that correct?"

"It is."

_I should probably sleep on this, shouldn't I? Oh Xena, what would you have me do? I'm so lost without you. Even if they are tricking me, at least I would be able to help them by getting that feather back. If they don't follow through on the other promises, then at least there was that. I wouldn't be in their debt…they would be in mine. Even though I probably would get nothing for my work. It's for the greater good, right?_

"You've got a deal."


	2. Chapter 2

**Weighing of the Heart**

Chapter 2

By Jinxie

The darkness was deafening, though there was not much sound. Rarely would she hear anything, except perhaps from her own body. The noises were not of her making, though. Maggots covered her body, eating away at her flesh constantly. It seemed as though they could not get their fill. In this space, completely void of light, all other senses were on higher alert and the smell of rot was heavy in the air.

After awhile, it all became quite normal to the dark-haired Warrior Princess. At first, she had tried to rid herself of the nasty larvae. Nothing seemed to work, they always came back. She called out to find other people, hoping that somewhere she could find life. In fact, she had. Once. They too had been rotting with an entourage of disgusting creatures eating at their body.

To most, this would seem like Hades' realm of Tartarus or Lucifer's realm of Hell. It was not like that though, far from it. Yes, she was miserable. Yes, it was not the Elysian Fields or Heaven. _Things could be worse. _That thought was a regular in her mind.

For her, the worst part was the lack of a presence, specifically her soul mate. She never thought that they would be apart again after learning they were soul mates and ending up together following their crucifixion. It validated that they were meant to be together, above ground and under, so to speak. She knew, however, that she had died before her soul mate. So maybe they would be together once Gabrielle had past on. In the meantime, her soul felt lost and devoid of the love she had come to depend on; Love coming into her heart, not leaving. For she had not stopped loving Gabrielle, but she no longer could feel the bard.

Another nagging thought was about escaping this vile place. No matter what she tried, there was no exit, entrance, god, goddess, nor anything that could lead to her desire. Occasionally she would berate herself for considering escape, for she was here for an entirely different reason than most; redemption of the 40,000 souls. She had even risked calling to Ares, though only after she tried the Goddess of Love. Neither answered her beckoning.

As she sat pondering her life, her past, and her future, she heard a slight murmuring that became louder. It was the sound of voices, more than she had heard since she came to this place. The whispering turned to solid sound, but there were voices on top of voices in argument.

Suddenly a bright light appeared, or rather she appeared in a different place that was like light itself. A sharp ache immediately took up residence behind her eyes due to the drastic shift in her surroundings. Unlike her typical stoic reactions in her former life, she fell to the ground and covered her eyes. The pain was too much, even for her. The sound of voices had stopped when she fell and there was a hush surrounding her. A tingle went up her spine as she could feel the presence of many people; gods.

"Xena, rise." The voice was loud, authoritative, yet soothing at the same time. She had never felt more excited to hear a god in her life. The lack of sound in her previous realm had bothered her more than she had realized.

Her voice was weak from lack of use, so her reply was simple, "I can't". Her body was too weak to stand and she did not know what else could be said or whom it was talking to her.

A shuffle of feet and a few murmurs rose, causing her to tune her senses to her surroundings, rather than focusing on her pain. A familiar scent filled her nostrils; Ares.

A warm hand came down and rested on her shoulder, sending a shockwave of heat through her flesh. She felt whole again, at least in body. Her 'friends' were now gone, not longer eating away at her. She could feel the god, with the warm touch, bend down and put his face next to her. "Open your eyes, warrior."

She did, for what felt like the first time in ages. She could actually see something besides rotting flesh and darkness. Dark brown eyes were looking back at her, his dark skin was sun kissed to perfection. He wore a crown upon his head, the base and back of it was red like the deserts of Egypt and the inside and front were white. His smile was warm and caused no fear or nervousness in her. She sat up on her knees and looked around the room. "Where am I?" she looked back into his eyes, drawn to them in a way that she could not explain.

"You are in my temple, in Hermopolis Magna. I am Thoth. I am here to give you another chance at life, for yours was unfairly cut short. It has been deemed unrighteous that you died and went to Yomi." He set out his hand in front of her as he stood up. She took it and rose to her feet with him.

"Why are all these gods here, staring at me?" She eyed Ares, who smiled and waved his fingers at her, then winked and disappeared. The rest of the gods began to vanish as well, one by one. The last to leave was Aphrodite. The blonde's parting smile caused warmth to spread in Xena's heart.

"They were all bidding for your soul, but they lost. I was the only god powerful enough to defeat them all." He did not say this with a superior attitude as one would expect, nor was there any arrogance. It was just a matter of fact.

"And why do you want my soul?" She was getting a bit suspicious, but was at the same time extremely grateful for being rescued. Her cautious spirit told her to be careful, as you could never trust a god.

"Well, it was part of a deal I made with Gabrielle."

At the mention of her partner, Xena stopped dead in her tracks. "Gab-" She could not even get herself to finish speaking. _She's here in Egypt! I have to see her. _

"Yes. She is helping us recover something of great value." He smiled, knowing where her thoughts were going. "You'll see her soon enough, warrior. We have much to discuss."

PLEASE REVIEW! I NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU.


	3. Chapter 3

**Weighing of the Heart**

Chapter 3

By Jinxie

Her room was hot and suffocating, until she opened the window to let in the cool Nile breeze. Gabrielle sat on the edge of her bed after a long day, removing her sandals one by one from her aching feet. _My first day in Egypt and I'm already mixed up with gods and who knows what else I've gotten myself into._

After drawing a bath, she eased her aching body into the hot water, sighing when she could finally relax. This was the first time that she really had time to process all that Thoth and Anubis had told her. She had a nagging suspicion that she had missed something of great importance when she made her deal, but she hadn't had time to think. She only had time to act on her gut instinct, which was telling her to give these gods a shot.

_What am I missing? _

A shimmering figure caught her attention from the corner of the room. She jumped up in the tub and grabbed her sais which were sitting on the table next to her bath. Pointing them in the corner, she sighed. "Aphrodite. You scared me."

The Goddess of Love giggled, then snapped her fingers. Gabrielle was suddenly back under the water, the warmth somehow going deeper than before. "Sorry, Sweet Pea. I didn't mean to scare you. Relax a little, I just wanted to visit with you."

Gabrielle didn't question the visit; rather she was grateful to have someone to talk to. It had been a long time since she'd seen her friend. "Where have you been?" Her voice was heavy with emotion she didn't expect to be hidden under the surface. A tear dripped down her cheek and into the water below.

"Oh, Gabrielle. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. I didn't know where you had gone and you were outside of my normal range of sense." The goddess pulled a chair up next to the tub and put her hand on Gabrielle's cheek. She wiped the tear away and closed her eyes. "I'm here now," she opened her blue eyes again and sighed. She could feel the pain radiating of her friend.

"Do you know what's going on with Thoth and Xena's soul? Am I missing something?" The bard couldn't help but immediately break into questioning. She had to know if there was more to it than Thoth led on.

Aphrodite took a moment to gather herself, "Well, there are some things about the process that maybe you do not know."

"Thoth mentioned something about tests then the weighing of her heart. He used the word 'judgment' but that does not scare me that much. Xena was a good person and she turned her life around. She should pass without a problem, right?" Gabrielle sat up when her friend did not respond. "Aphrodite?" She pleaded, placing her wet hand on the goddess' dry one.

"I don't know all the details, Gabrielle. I do know that it can be a difficult trial to go through. I think it would be best if you read the books on your own to find out all you can about it." The goddess snapped her fingers and five books appeared on the bed.

"That is a lot of reading." Gabrielle chuckled as she looked to her friend. "Are you worried about Xena not making it?"

"I don't know, Gabrielle. It will be really tough. If anyone can get through it, though, it would be her." She smiled, then continued, "I've got to go now. I won't be too far out of range now that I know where you are. Call me if you need anything." With that, she disappeared leaving Gabrielle alone in the room.

The bard looked at the books with an overwhelming feeling sinking into her gut. "Guess I better get started." She held her breath then sunk down into the hot water, submerging her head.

xxxx

Hours later, Gabrielle was lying on her stomach surrounded by open books. She had a scroll and ink out on the bed as well, her quill moving quickly across the parchment. Her studies had only led her to become more worried about the deal she had made. Not only did Xena have to get through a series of gates with demons for guards, but she had to be able to truthfully declare forty-two 'have nots'. Out of the entire list, she could not find one that Xena had not committed in her lifetime.

She went on to read that following the reading of those confessions, Thoth would plead Xena's case before Osiris, since she had indeed committed the sins. He would demonstrate the favorable things that Xena did in her life and try to win Osiris' mercy. Then Xena's heart would be weighed and if it were heavier than the Feather of Ma'at, a creature named Ammit would devour her soul. From there, Xena's soul would be restless forever, or it could be thrown into a lake of fire to be destroyed. Oblivion.

Before she knew it, tears were pouring down her cheeks. _What have I done? _She had failed Xena. Thoth was not giving Xena a chance at life, only at a chance of being judged differently. Nowhere did it say that the soul could choose to reincarnate or come back to life. Greif overwhelmed her as she realized that she made a huge mistake.

Amidst her grief, she could only think of one thing to do; scream at Thoth for his deceit. "Thoth! Show yourself!" She stood from the bed and grabbed her sais, waiting eagerly to dig them into his chest. Her fury was building by the minute as she waited for the god to appear.

Suddenly a bright light appeared before her, dying out quite slowly. She jumped forward with her sais, plunging them into the chest of the god who stood before her. He did not budge as she bludgeoned him, because it did not cause him any harm whatsoever.

During her enraged screams, she heard someone say her name. It caused her to pause and step back from the large Egyptian god. There before her was the most glorious sight she'd ever seen.

All air escaped her lungs as she uttered, "Xena?"


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you to all my readers and thanks for the reviews! Katherine, Missyla, LamaRama, Serahhaggerty, Olaenda, BlackIrish88, Plastic midas, BustyAph, gabxena22. Your reviews spur me on!

**Weighing of the Heart**

Chapter 4

By Jinxie

All air escaped her lungs as she uttered, "Xena." Thoth had enough respect to disappear for a moment until he was called back. He wanted them to have this moment alone.

The dark haired warrior smiled at the sight of Gabrielle. "You're beautiful when you're angry." She stepped towards Gabrielle and opened her arms, hoping against hope that the bard would fall into them.

Gabrielle didn't hesitate as she dropped her weapons and lunged into waiting arms. Her strong body wrapped itself around the warrior, legs and all, as Xena held her off the ground. Her nose found it's way to Xena's neck; the smell of her partner was just as she had remembered, and it was intoxicating. She leaned back just enough to look deeply into Xena's eyes, which were alight with excitement and love. "I've missed you."

Xena's eyes welled up with tears as emotion took over her thoughts, "I missed you too, Gabrielle." She captured the blonde's lips in a gentle kiss as the bard's hands moved to her cheeks.

After several moments of silence, hugging, and kissing, Xena sat them both on the bed. She did not let go of Gabrielle once during the whole reunion. "Did you really think you could kill Thoth?" She chuckled when Gabrielle's face turned red.

"I don't know. I was just so angry for what he did." Gabrielle looked over at her sais, which were on the ground where she had dropped them. "I shouldn't have trusted him Xena."

The warrior was a little confused because, so far, the god had kept his promise to her. He said she would see Gabrielle again, and now she had. "Tell me what's going on, love."

The blonde sat on her lap for an hour recounting the whole scenario to Xena. She knew that her partner would see her folly and would probably be upset with her for being so easily duped. It bewildered her when Xena was not upset, but rather happy for what had taken place.

"Anything, oblivion or restlessness, would be better than where I was. At least now I have a chance. The place that I was in, Yomi, was horrific. I wasn't even given a chance to go anywhere but there, Gabrielle. I was left to rot away with maggots eating at my flesh."

The bard cringed at the description and image it created in her head. A realization hit her, "Wait a minute. If you are here, are you alive? Do you even need to go through all the judgment in the underworld?"

The warrior's smiled faded at the thought, "Yes I still have to go through it. I'm not really alive. Thoth told me I would only have my body for a little while so that we could see each other."

At the mention of his name, the god determined it was time to show himself again. "Sorry to interrupt, but there is much to be done. I know you feel anger towards me, little bard, but fear not. I have not led you astray."

"Then how do you explain to me the confessions Xena has to give? How is she supposed to receive mercy from Osiris when she has committed all of those acts?" Her anger began to build again, but this time she had the soothing touch of Xena to calm her.

Thoth noted the effect that Xena had on her and it made him smile inside. "Gabrielle, I know the good that Xena has done. I will bargain on her behalf. You must understand, as I said before, I cannot promise she will pass the tests. I will give her every opportunity, though." He stepped closer and motioned for Xena to stand up next to him.

Xena knew it was time for her to go. She turned back to Gabrielle, who also stood up and approached Xena. The warrior reached out and caressed the bard's face with her hand. "I love you. Get that feather back so that I have a chance. Ok?" She leaned forward as Gabrielle nodded and let out a sob. She kissed the blonde's forehead then her lips.

Gabrielle held the kiss as long as she could, but when they finally broke apart, Xena was gone.

xxxx

The Duat was an interesting place. It was completely different than anywhere Xena had been before. Hades and Hell were ruthless compared to this. As far as her eyes could see, it looked remarkably like earth. She saw an abundance of rivers and tributaries, islands, and lakes.

"Beautiful for an underworld, is it not?" Thoth stepped next to her looking over the place he had created. He breathed deeply of the air, which was very normal and fresh.

Xena eyed him strangely then continued to look around them. "What exactly must I do?"

"Normally, an Egyptian would have to find their way to the Hall of Ma'at, where Osiris and Anubis await with the scales. On the way through Duat, you would encounter different gates that you have to pass through using various spells. However, since you are not Egyptian, you would have no knowledge of these things. Therefore, I am going to change the rules for you a bit." He put out his hand and produced an exact replica of her sword and chakrum. He handed it to her, hoping she would not hesitate to take them.

She was in a bit of shock, but very happy to see her prized weapons. The moment she touched them, she was clad in armor from head to toe. A half mask made from gold covered her head and part of her face down to just below her nose. It had a spike running from forehead to the back of her head. Her leathers were black, covered in three sections of gold plate across her breasts, midsection, and lower abdomen. Leather strips, with more gold décor, fell from the plates on her stomach, down to mid thigh like a skirt. She wore a black cape with similar designs in black embroidery. Her boots were almost knee high, straps crisscrossed in the front of her shin, with a thick piece of leather above her calf to hold them up. Lastly, she wore gloves with wrist gauntlets made of the same gold design that held them on tight. Black leather came down around her thumb and covered most of her hand. Her fingers, however, were bare. It was the exact armor she wore against Caligula.

She looked at the god and smiled, it had been one of her favorite costumes. If she remembered right, Gabrielle _really_ liked it too. Thoth nodded at her, content that she liked her new outfit. "What are the rules?"

Thoth laughed at her eagerness then proceeded to describe what would happen. "First, you must find your way through Duat, just like everyone else. However, when you come to each gate, you will not be able to pass with just a word or spell. You will have to fight your way through by either slaying what stands in your way, or by some other means. After that, and once you find the Hall of Ma'at, Anubis will greet you and lead you to Osiris."

Xena nodded her head and then decided she better find out everything that would happen. "What then? Tell me everything you can."

"Anubis will weigh your heart against the Feather, if Gabrielle has returned it. If it is heavier than the feather, then Ammit will devour your soul. If it weighs the same or is lighter than the feather, then you will be given a choice." He ran his hand through his dark hair and sighed. "I'm changing a lot of rules for you, Xena."

"Why? What are you changing?" Now she was concerned. _Gabrielle might have been right. He must have something up his sleeve. Otherwise why would he be willing to change things for me?_

"There are many reasons, but the most being that I need your help. I will not force you to do anything, but if you agree to it then I expect you to keep your word. If you are judged righteous, then I will give you three choices: Oblivion, Field of Reeds, or life on earth with your soul mate. The last one is where I have a deal for you."

She looked at him suspiciously, narrowing her eyes, "Go on."

"Since your death, the world, particularly Egypt, is in a state of chaos. Evil is outweighing good, which cannot happen under my watch. I must keep it balanced. If you decide on the third option, I will grant it, but only if you agree to stay in Egypt and fight to restore the peace."

"If I'm so important to the world, then why even give me a choice? Why not just zap me back to life and get me fighting again?" Her question held an edge of irritation to it.

"I'm not like the Olympians, Xena. I won't force you to do anything without offering choices. I'm not going to lie to you, though. The world will be ok without you. Gabrielle will be fine without you. I think you got the raw end of a deal and I'm giving you this chance to live life with your soul mate AND to help the world that is in need."

_Gabrielle will be fine without me? Do I really believe that? _"Did you tell Gabrielle about these options?" When the god shook his head no, she continued, "You mentioned that my death and existence in Yomi were deemed unrighteous. Who deemed it so?"

"All the gods. You were not meant to die, Xena. It was not in the loom of the Fates, in fact, your threads were to lead you here. Because of your supreme selflessness, you put yourself in harms way and tried to save souls that were not truly in need of saving. You were tricked."

Her eyebrows rose up under her bangs, "Tricked?" It was unimaginable to her that Akemi may have tricked her about something so serious, though at the same time the young girl had tricked her once before.

"It was not really Akemi that you met with, Xena. I am not sure all the details, but I do know that it was all wrong. Now you have a chance to be judged correctly and to possibly return to life with the woman you love." He turned and looked her in the eye, "Are you ready for your journey?"

"I'm ready." She sheathed her sword and hooked her Chakrum on her hip. She intertwined her fingers, popped her knuckles and cocked her head to the side to pop her neck. "See you on the other side."

**Please review! Give me some feedback here… is this a good way to continue the series? A good Season 7?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Weighing of the Heart**

Chapter 5

By Jinxie

The night Xena had vanished, Gabrielle couldn't sleep. All she could think about was her warrior and getting her back. The next morning proved very difficult for her, as she had to get out of bed early to begin her journey. She was extremely exhausted and her feet ached. The only thought that pushed her out of bed, and out the door, was the thought of Xena retuning to life.

Her first stop on the dusty streets was to the Temple of Anubis. She was hoping that the priests had the robbers arrested after she had left the other day. Upon entering the temple, she saw that they were performing a ritual. Instead of barging in, like Xena might do, she waited towards the back of the room until they were finished.

Luckily she did not wait long. The high priest approached her with a smile, "Gabrielle, it's good to see you again." He took her hands in his and kissed them graciously.

She smiled, "It's good to see you again as well. I was hoping we might talk?"

He motioned for her to follow him into the back room where she had helped the wounded priest. "How can I help you?"

She watched him as he poured himself a cup of tea and offered her one. She politely declined, eager to find out about the robbers. "No thank you. I would like to ask you what happened to the men from the other day. Were they arrested?"

He nodded his head, "Indeed, though I do not know if they are still imprisoned. Lately it seems the police let criminals out the second they get in." He rolled his eyes as he blew on the steaming cup of dark liquid.

She stood at attention, ready to run to the jail. "Where is the prison? I have to find that man."

After instructing her on how to get there, she jogged out of the temple down the streets. It took her a few minutes, but eventually she arrived. She scoffed at what they called a jail. It was a wall with shackles built into it, no bars to hold anyone in. Immediately, her eyes fell upon one of the robbers. It was the one she had put the pinch on.

He looked up at her as she stood in front of him. The sun was behind her, casting her shadow upon the dirty man on the ground. "Who are you?" His voice was hoarse from the lack of water and the dust in the air.

She squatted down so that she was eye level with him. "I'm your ticket to freedom. I am going to have you released."

He smiled with excitement, "Really? That's great!" He tried to stand but was pushed back by the blonde woman.

"First, you need to tell me something. Tell me about the feather; who has it, where are they, and why?" Her voice enforced the notion that she was not to be messed with.

"You promise to release me?"

"If you tell me everything I want to know, you will be released."

"The man that has it, his name is Ahmose. I can't say exactly where he took it, but I have some guesses." He tried to wipe his nose, which had started bleeding due to the heat and sun pounding him.

She pulled out a cloth and wiped it for him, hoping that he would continue with his story. "Who asked you to steal it?"

"Enyalius. He is some sort of god. He said it would help him bring peace to our people, but we aren't sure how. As far as I know, the feather is needed for people to get to the afterlife. But Ahmose is our leader, so we followed him."

Gabrielle sat back for a moment in thought. _Peace to the people. Isn't that what Thoth wants? Why would he steal the feather of his wife? Oh no!_ She slapped her forehead as something dawned on her. "This is all a ruse to get Xena back."

"Xena?" The man said, "Enyalius used that name as well. He said that she is meant to be with him. But when we asked who she was, all he said was 'my wife'."

"His wife? Hmm, that doesn't quite make sense. He could be lying, though. If I release you, will you take me to the places you think Ahmose might be?" She pulled out her sai and twirled it in her hand in a manner of threat.

He swallowed, "I agree."

xxxx

After paying for his release, she kept him chained and dragged him to the nearest stable. She bought two horses for a low price, after haggling for quite some time. There was no way she would do this journey on foot; it needed to be done quickly.

A half-day's travel later, they arrived near the camp of Ahmose and his group of men. Gabrielle had stopped way down the road so that they did not see her approach. She tied up the horses, then chained Seti to the horses. She shoved cloth in his mouth and used rope to secure it. For good measure, she knocked him out cold by hitting him in the back of the neck with her sai. _That ought to keep him._

Quietly she snuck up to the camp, which was surrounded by trees. She decided the best way to not be caught was to be in a tree, like her Amazon sisters. As quickly as she was able, she climbed about ten feet up and sat on a sturdy branch. It had a perfect view of the camp and men within it.

About six men milled about, laughing as they drank ale and ate some sort of animal. The smell caused Gabrielle's stomach to growl. _Damn, I forgot to eat. _ She heard one man call out the name "Ahmose" towards the tent.

A tall man walked out, followed by a man in a black hooded cape. The cape looked extremely familiar to her, but she couldn't place it. Ahmose talked to his men for a moment, but then motioned to the caped man. "Enyalius would like to speak to everyone, so keep your mouths shut." He yelled and kicked at one man who didn't know how to stop laughing.

The man, Enyalius, stepped forward and pointed at the giggling thug. Suddenly a bolt of lightening came out from his finger and the man on the ground evaporated into thin air. "Now who is laughing?"

His voice was deep and so familiar to Gabrielle that it gave her goose bumps. _It couldn't be him, could it?_

The god began to speak to the men, "You have all done well, getting this feather to me. Now I have a new job for you. There is an irritating blonde Greek woman roaming your streets. She is short, carries a long sword, two sais, a round weapon and a katana from Japa. Find her and bring her to me."

Gabrielle about fell out of the tree when he said 'irritating blonde'. She whispered, "Ares."


	6. Chapter 6

**Weighing of the Heart**

Chapter 6

By Jinxie

The Warrior Princess had been traveling for what seemed like hours. The land she was in was not as beautiful as she originally thought. Yes, it had been from up on a hilltop with Thoth, but once she was down inside the land, it had some nasty areas.

_I really expected something more…torturous looking. But then again, this isn't the afterlife. It's their in-between place, I suppose. I am really worried about the confessions Gabrielle spoke of. She told Thoth that I have committed all of the acts that I'm supposed to say I have not committed. My heart could not possibly be as light as that feather with all of the pain I've caused in the world. _

She stopped her pondering when she saw a glorious boat on the river below her. She quickly hid among the bushes and watched as the boat came to a stop in a gap between two mountains. The boat was very colorful with amethyst, emerald, jasper and turquoise and a slew of gold trimmings.

Out of the mountains, ghost-like being appeared and surrounded the boat. They began to strip it bare of all its beauty. The scene before her brought back a memory of a story she had heard Gabrielle tell once. The last time they were in Egypt, the bard had told it to Eve. This was the boat of the sun god, Ra. If the story was correct, he would be in the boat, completely dead. These gods would then guide the boat through portals with no issue. _I wonder if the portals are the same thing as the gates Thoth talked about? If so, my best chance of getting through this alive is being on that boat._

She made a quick decision to hitch a ride. She quietly snuck down to the shore and hid among reeds as the gods were busy with the boat preparations. In order to distract them, she threw her Chakrum at a pile of rocks on the hillside. It caused a rockslide that landed in the water just in front of the boat.

Each god walked towards the rocks to investigate and clear up the blockage. Xena made her move, flipping silently onto the now abandoned boat. With a quick glance behind her, she saw that none of the gods had sensed her. She opened the door to the cabin that held Ra and entered.

xxxx

The voyage through the gates had been very intense for Xena. She heard a lot of commotion outside the boat, fighting mostly. The noise of beasts was deafening in her ears. In a way, she was glad she was not the one fighting. But she was also on the edge of her seat, wanting to jump in and help. However, she knew she could not be found out on the boat. She did not know the consequences of her choices, but Thoth had told her 'or by some other means'. This had been her other means.

She remembered from her partner's story that there were twelve gates to pass through. She kept track along the way so that she would not miss her opportunity to disembark.

The boat came to a stop, alerting to Xena that her time has come. She had no idea how to get out of there without being discovered. "Who are you?" The voice came from behind her.

She turned slowly, knowing that she was now caught. "I am Xena. I just needed a ride through the gates." She stood up, trying to act casual. "I'll just be on my way now." She moved to open the door but was stopped by the god.

Ra spoke in a firm voice, "How did you come to be here, you are not Egyptian."

"Thoth recovered my soul and has allowed me to be judged in the Hall of Ma'at. He told me I had to find my way there, though."

"So you thought you'd hitch a ride with me?" Ra chuckled at the determination of the woman before him. "I didn't know there was a mortal that was clever enough to do such a thing." He opened the door and motioned for her to go through it. "By all means, after you."

She was hesitant at first, but moved forward nonetheless. Upon her first step onto the deck of the boat, all the gods turned and looked at her with surprise on their faces. Ra waved them off, excusing them from their duties. He led Xena ashore and nodded his head curtly. "Good luck in your journey, Xena."

xxxx

"Well that was easy," she commented to herself. She took a good look around her and saw a large building behind her. She took a deep breath and entered. "I hope you found that feather, Gabrielle."

The structure was unlike anything she had ever seen. The ceiling was so tall that she could not make out the details. Paintings saturated the walls, all depicting what she assumed was the upcoming trials she was to face.

After several minutes of walking, she came to a gate. Two pillars stood to the sides, one black upon white ground and the other white upon black ground. Both had a lotus flower at the bottom and at the top, connecting the two pillars, was a red triangular structure.

"Well, here goes nothing." She stepped forward and tried to press on the gate, but it did not budge. "Hello?" She called out, hoping that someone would hear her.

"Hello, Xena." A voice said from behind. "I am Anubis."

She had immediately reached back to grab her sword, but let go once she realized who he was. He was just as Gabrielle had described him, however this time he stayed in his Jackal form. He wore a long skirt that went below his knees, a Usekh adorned with multiple colors of beads, and his skin was the darkest black she'd ever seen.

"My partner told me about you. Did she find your feather yet?" She stayed a distance away from him, keeping her eyes on him at all times. She wanted to trust these gods, but still tried to keep her wits about her.

"Not yet, but I have faith that she will. However, we don't need it yet. You and I need to travel to the Hall of Two Truths. Follow me."

Xena didn't move, "You know. Something has been bothering me. Why can't you just get the feather back yourself? Or Thoth get it, for the matter? You are gods, all powerful, blah blah blah." Her voice held a challenge in it as she tried to discern if this was all some sort of elaborate scheme or not.

Anubis showed his teeth in what appeared to be a smile. "If we tried to get it back, a war would start. One we've tried to avoid."

"War? Thoth mentioned something to Gabrielle about a war, but I thought that was for my soul." She began to pace, "Can you tell me more about this?"

He sighed and folded his arms, "I really don't have to tell you anything. You are here to be judged for your life. We are already changing things for you." He stepped towards her and reached out to put his hand on her shoulder.

The Warrior Princess dodged him and leapt to the side. "Don't touch me." After a moment, she decided that she better be nice, "Please. I don't like being touched." _Come on Xena, pull it together. These gods are going to be judging you. _

"Fair enough, warrior. Follow me, now. It's time to meet up with Thoth and the rest of the group."

xxxx

Thoth stood next to his wife, Ma'at. She waited patiently for the soul to arrive. Osiris, however, was not so patient. "I don't understand why were bending the rules for this woman."

Thoth sighed, then once again explained, "She was not meant to die yet. She was meant to come here and become an Egyptian citizen and hero. Her path was to help our people. Osiris, you've seen how evil has risen in Egypt. You know I cannot directly step in, so I've chosen Xena as the way to restore good."

The god of the afterlife huffed, "Fine. Don't say you don't owe me, Thoth."

Finally Ma'at spoke up, "She is here." They all looked to the door to see Xena standing next to Anubis. She was still in her warrior armor, gold plate covering half of her face.

She stepped forward, unafraid, and removed the mask. "Let's get this over with."


	7. Chapter 7

**Weighing of the Heart**

Chapter 7

By Jinxie

The warrior-bard remained in the tree as she watched the group of men take off on horses, headed towards the city. They were now hunting for her. She kept her eye on Ares as he studied the feather in his hand. He took his hood off and revealed his face. It truly was him. Suddenly he looked around him, like he sensed something. He sniffed the air and smiled to himself. "Everyone out of the camp!" he yelled, scaring the remaining men half to death.

"But Lord, I should remain with you." Ahmose pleaded with the God of War.

Ares eyed him and pointed his finger of death at the man's head. "Now."

Ahmose and his men ran from the camp and got as far away as they could. Ares sat down on a stump and twirled the feather in his fingers. Then he looked up into the tree, directly at Gabrielle. "You can come down now, Queen."

The blonde gulped, a little set back by the fact that he sensed her. In fact, he seemed to smell her. She jumped from the tree, but did not bother taking out her weapons. "Give me the feather, Ares." Her voice was strong, since she had long since gotten over her fear of the gods.

He smirked at the woman, stood, and then drew his sword. He set down the feather on the stump and took a menacing step towards Gabrielle. She drew Xena's broad sword, "Fine, if this is how you want to play it."

"Oh, I do!" He lunged at her, bringing the sword down with a massive amount of power.

Gabrielle blocked it with her sword and moved with the force so that it was absorbed and did not knock her over. She pushed back against him, forcing him to step back. He smiled, "You've gotten better."

In response, she raised her eyebrows and winked. Her next step was to circle around him, but he was anxious to make more contact. He didn't play into her footwork, instead aggressed towards her. She side stepped, causing him to miss her. "Do I need to teach you patience, Ares?"

He laughed, then quickly dropped the smile. "Alright, Blondie. Let's do this for real." He charged at her swiping his foot at her knee, trying to knock her down.

She jumped over him, actually flipping in the air like her partner. _Whoa, where did that come from?_ She landed behind him and put her sword at his throat. They both looked surprised. "I'm taking that feather, Ares."

To her surprise, he walked over to the stump, picked it up, and handed it to her. "Now go."

"What? Why did you just give this to me without more of a fight?" She was dumbfounded by his actions. He just stared at her and raised his eyebrows. Then it dawned on her, "You planned this."

He nodded, "Duh. It was the final straw that Thoth needed to get Xena's soul."

"And all the discord in Egypt?"

"Me. Though now that it's rolling, it might not stop without you two doing your 'for the greater good' thing." He chuckled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my work is done. Go get her back." With his signature sparkle, he was gone, smirk and all.

She looked at the feather in her hand and smiled. "I'm coming, honey."

xxxx

At dusk, she arrived back to the city. She kept a wary eye out for Ahmose's gang, worried that they were still on the hunt for her. The feather had been safely tucked into her bag, next to Xena's ashes, and she released Seti back by the camp, glad that she didn't have to worry about him any longer.

The town was very quiet at this hour. However, around each corner, women stood in barely any clothing, soliciting themselves. One particular corner had three women on it, two approached her, one doing the talking. "Looking for some company?"

Gabrielle looked her in the eye with compassion, "No thank you. Don't you have a family to be with?" She looked at the other woman, who wore a dark black wig. Both shook their heads. She peaked around them and looked at the younger woman, who leaned against the wall. Her face was down as if she was trying to hide herself.

"Don't pay any attention to her. She doesn't have any experience pleasing anyone."

"Yeah, she is new. I, on the other hand, can take good care of you." The taller of the two said, reaching out to touch Gabrielle's leg.

The bard flinched back and moved her horse backwards. "Be safe, ladies." She was very sad to see this happening. The streets seemed over run with women, prostituting themselves to anyone. She moved her horse forward several yards then stopped when her gut continued to nag at her. She looked back at the young girl. She couldn't be more than nine years old.

She jumped off her horse and walked over to the girl. "Hi, my name is Gabrielle. What's yours?"

The girl shrunk back away from the blonde, but still responded. Her voice was small and scared, "I'm Akila. Do you wish me to care for you?"

"Who owns you?" Gabrielle squatted down so she could look into the girl's eyes.

"No one."

One of the older women came up from behind the girl, "Her parents both died a few days ago. She had no choice but to come out here."

Gabrielle couldn't help but want to cry for this girl. "Akila, come with me." She held out her hand and watched the girl take it. She looked at the other women, "I'm taking her, permanently."

"Why? You can't do that."

"Of course I can. No one owns her. She is way too young to be doing what you are doing. She needs a roof over her head, food, and someone to take care of her." Gabrielle gently pulled the girl with her to the horse. She jumped up into the saddle and pulled the girl up with her.

"I don't like horses." Akila said as they started to ride away.

Gabrielle smiled, "It's ok. I didn't like them much when I was your age. But now I like them a lot more. You hungry?" The dark haired girl nodded eagerly. "Don't worry, Akila. You are safe now."

xxxx

Instead of stopping by the temple, Gabrielle took the girl to the inn and got her fed. Afterwards, they walked up to her room and Gabrielle drew a bath for her. The girl was eager to get in, as she was covered in dirt.

"Aphrodite?" The blonde called out, hoping that the goddess would appear.

"Yes, sweet pea?" pink sparkles littered the room as she revealed her scantily clad self. "What do we have here?" she walked over to the tub and smiled down at the little girl.

Akila looked frightened at the sudden appearance of this blonde haired woman. Gabrielle stepped forward, "It's ok, Akila. She's a friend. I am going to be in the hall talking to her, ok? Just stay there and get cleaned up." She pulled Aphrodite out into the hall. "I need your help. Can you stay and keep your eye on her? I need to get this feather to Anubis. But I don't want to take her and endanger her in any way."

The tall goddess smiled warmly, "Sure thing. Where did you find the feather?"

Gabrielle scoffed, "Your brother had it. Apparently he planned this whole thing out as a way to get Xena back."

Aphrodite didn't look the least bit surprised. "Go. I'll keep my eye on her, ok?"

xxxx

The temple of Anubis was bustling with priestly activity. They seemed to be in an intense ritualistic prayer. Again, she didn't want to interrupt, but she knew that this feather was a big deal. Just as she was about to shout the name of Anubis, she felt him behind her.

"Did you find it?" his deep voice resonated in her chest.

She reached into her bag, but then paused. She looked up at him with her green eyes, which seemed to bore into him. "I have a question. Why didn't you just get this yourself?"

His face was the epitome of shock, "If I didn't know better, I would say that the spirit of your partner has taken over your body." When she didn't seem to understand him, he continued, "She asked me the very same question at the gate."

Gabrielle smiled, "I am her partner, ya know. We think a lot alike. Well, is there an answer?"

"We didn't want a war with Ares. We knew that he was involved somehow, but Thoth wanted to avoid a war."

"So instead, you sent a human into danger to do your bidding." She scoffed, "I knew the gods here weren't any different."

"Gabrielle, we are different. However, we still do our best not to get directly involved in things. We knew that you would get it back." He smiled at her, "You are as good as her."

She shook her head, "Yeah sure. Ares just handed it over, actually. I didn't have to be good at anything."

Anubis stepped back, "Ares himself had the feather?"

Gabrielle looked at him, "You didn't know? Yeah, he had a gang of guys steal it for him. He was camped out in the desert."

"I will inform Thoth. Right now, it's time to return the feather. Xena has arrived to the Hall of Ma'at."

Curiosity of her soul mate's status overwhelmed her, "So what happens now that she is there? I think I heard that's where the confessions take place, right?"

He nodded as she handed him the feather. "Right. Confessions then the weighing of her heart." He grasped the feather then held out his other hand.

"What? You have the feather." She looked a little offended that he wanted something more from her.

"I need her heart as well."

"I don't have her heart. I mean, I have her heart in an emotional sense, but not physically." She thought for a minute, "Unless you mean her ashes?"

He nodded solemnly, "Please, I need to return."

She took the ashes out of her bag and held tight to them as she stared at the small urn. A tear ran down her cheek, "Promise me you will return this if it doesn't work?"

He reached out and took it from her hands, "I will." With that, he vanished with the remains of her lover. She sunk to the ground in the temple and pulled her knees into her chest. She let out a small sob as she realized that it was all out of her hands. She could do nothing as she waited.

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	8. Chapter 8

**Weighing of the Heart**

Chapter 8

By Jinxie

Ma'at stepped to her throne and sat next to her scales. A beast suddenly appeared. It had the head of an alligator and body of both a lion and hippopotamus. He sat under the scales, where Anubis had been previously standing. The beast, Ammit, was a daunting figure and even caused Xena to be somewhat nervous.

She watched them all take their places then felt an overwhelming tingle crawl up her spine. She quickly looked around to see what was happening, when a large tribunal of gods appeared. They surrounded her like in an amphitheater.

A bright flash happened and Anubis reappeared. "Well?" She asked him, knowing that he had gone to see if the feather had been found.

He walked to the scales and motioned to the one on the right. The feather was there. Xena smiled with pride for her soul mate. The happiness seemed to radiate off her, causing Thoth to let out a laugh. "Osiris, we are ready."

Osiris had left earlier because the feather was still missing. He reappeared now, crook and flail in his hands. He was wrapped in a tight woven cloth, much like a mummy. He wore a tall headdress, complete with ostrich feathers on both sides.

"Xena, Thoth has graciously written for you the confessions so that you can recite them. Please read from this scroll and confess if you are not guilty of these sins." He handed her the scroll and she quickly scanned the first few lines.

'_I have not committed sin. I have not committed robbery with violence. I have not stolen.'_ She chuckled at the irony. She looked up at the gods who were now glaring at her. "I'm sorry, I mean no offense. I cannot state, with truth, that I have not committed any of these." _How am I supposed to get through this? Gabrielle was right, I'm doomed._

A hush went through the room, the tribunal nodded their heads to Anubis. The god took the urn containing her ashes and opened it. A swirl of gray ashes rose out of the top, rising up above the scales. The ashes began to form the shape of a human heart, then came alive with color. Her heart was back to its physical form. It descended from the air and gently landed on the scale, opposite the feather.

Ma'at stood, then in a quick second she seemed to have shrunk into a small figure and ascended to the top of the scales. She became the fulcrum, allowing the scales to move in attempt to balance.

The two plates holding the heart and feather, moved up and down against each other, one trying to win over the other. Xena held her breath as it appeared that her heart was lighter than the feather. She was about to rejoice when it started to go down again. Her face fell. They all stared as it continued teetering back and forth. Finally she became a little impatient, "Is this supposed to take this long?"

Thoth looked at her and shook his head. Osiris shrugged, his brow was furrowed. "Ma'at, what is happening?"

The goddess responded, "I have never had this happen. I do not know."

"Great." Xena rolled her eyes, "Now what?"

"Thoth, this is all your fault! If you wouldn't have tried to bend the rules, this wouldn't happen. She's not even Egyptian!" Anubis stood up and removed the heart and feather to make sure that the scales had not been tampered with. They evened out perfectly. He reset them on the scale plates.

Thoth glared at Anubis and snapped his fingers. All the gods in the room disappeared completely from Xena's presence, except the soul eater. She looked around and whistled, "Glad I'm not one of them right now." Ammit looked at her with what appeared to be a glare.

The tribunal of gods argued for hours about what to do, but no conclusion was reached. As they argued, Thoth fought for Xena. He stated that she deserved to live and not be judged against her evil past. The other gods argued that she was guilty of all the confessions, thus deserved for her heart to be devoured by Ammit.

All the while, Xena watched the scales move back and forth. She didn't know it, but each time the scale tipped in her favor, it was because a god was standing up for her. Her skin prickled with excitement when she saw her heart lift higher than the feather. This time it stayed there. _I did it! Some how, I had passed!_

After a full minute of pure adrenaline and lust for life coursed through her veins, the feather began to ascend. It continued moving up until it was even with her heart. She sucked air into her lungs, holding her breath, hoping against hope it would stay even. Suddenly, it dropped, her heart nearly hitting the floor while on the plate. Little did she know, a god was arguing that she should be condemned to oblivion. The suspense was horrible and her emotions reeked havoc with her.

xxxx

"My friends, I have come to help."

The gods of judgment turned and saw a man standing before them. He was dressed in white, had long brown hair, and a full beard. His countenance was filled with love and compassion. "Eli. Why do you want to help?"

"I care about Xena as well. You are right, Thoth. She was not meant to die when she did. I know why the scales continue to teeter." He smiled warmly at them as he walked up to the middle of the crowd.

"Please share." Ma'at said to her counterpart.

"You have not decided which Xena you are judging. You see, when Xena was outside of Potedia, she had made the decision to bury her old self. She essentially killed that part of who she was, being born anew when she met Gabrielle. Since then, she has done nothing but strive for good to prevail."

Anubis voiced his concern, "But it's clear she's guilty of all sins! No one has ever gone to the Field of Reeds with as much guilt as she."

"He's right." Ma'at commented, "We can't allow her to go to the Fields because she has two different personalities; one good and one bad."

"It's not about personalities, my friends." Eli smiled. "It's about a soul being dead and a new soul being reborn."

Thoth nodded, "He is right. I see it now."

"So what are we going to do?" Osiris asked, looking to Ma'at.

The goddess of Justice looked around her. "We are going to put this matter to rest and let the scales decide."

xxxx

Xena, after hours of being alone with Ammit, sat cross legged on the floor. All she could think about was Gabrielle and how she would do anything to get back to her. The room suddenly filled with gods, their faces not revealing their decision. She stood up, glad to get on with the ceremony.

Everyone took their previous positions as Anubis picked up her heart from the scale and set it back down, but nothing appeared to have changed with the organ. However, the scales tipped, Xena's heart sank below the feather. It stopped, completely still.

Her eyes shot to Thoth and she frowned. "Does this mean…?"

Suddenly, Xena's eyes opened wide as she watch Ammit jump to the scale and devour her heart in his mouth. "Gabrielle." She whispered, as her vision grew fuzzy, then all went black.

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	9. Chapter 9

**Weighing of the Heart**

Chapter 9

By Jinxie

The walk to the inn was pure torture for Gabrielle. She could feel the anxiety eating away at her mind, body, and soul. _What would happen to Xena? Would she survive the Egyptian underworld and never come back?_ These questions plagued her.

Upon arriving to the door of her room, she took a deep breath to try and calm her mind. She rolled her shoulders back, begging the tension to vanish from her muscles. She moved her neck from side to side, popping each bone. Suddenly a thought occurred to her as she felt butterflies in her stomach.

She immediately burst through the door and looked around excitedly for Xena. "Xe?" she said, her voice hoarse from the last few days of trials. She quickly walked through the room, looking in every nook and cranny. To her disappointment, no one was there.

Her smiled faded as she collapsed on the bed. She buried her face into the pillow and tried to cry, but no tears came. She felt exposed and raw.

xxxx

She awoke to the sound of feet shuffling and hushed voices. Aphrodite and Akila thought they were sneaking in, little did they know that Gabrielle now heard everything like Xena always had. "You two are louder than a stampede." She smiled against her pill then quickly shut her eyes when two candles were lit.

"Sorry, we thought we were quiet enough." Aphrodite looked at the little girl by her side, "Huh squirt?"

Aikila smiled, "Yeah, we did. Sorry Gabrielle. We just ate dinner, it was so good!"

Gabrielle sat up and scrubbed her eyes, "Oh yeah. What did you have?"

The little girl looked up at her new goddess friend, "What was it called again?"

"Lentil soup. Well, Gabrielle, if you don't need me for the rest of the night, I've got some business to attend to." She rubbed the top of the girl's head and wiggled her fingers in a wave to the bard, and then disappeared.

Gabrielle smiled, "She's nice, huh? Why don't you climb into bed with me? I think we both could use some sleep." She pulled the covers open to allow room for the small girl, who did not hesitate to get under the warm covers.

After settling down, the young Egyptian girl asked, "Gabrielle, are you going to be my mother now?"

Gabrielle's eyes snapped back open. She thought carefully for a moment before speaking. "Is that what you would want?" She reached out and stroked the girl's hair from out of her eyes.

Akila smiled, "Yeah. I like you. You're nice."

The bard chuckled, "Well I like you too. But you should know that being a mom isn't always about being nice; sometimes mom's need to spank their kids and tell them not to do things so they don't get hurt."

"I know. My mom had to do that too." The girl sniffled, thinking about her mother. "I miss her."

Gabrielle moved over and brought the girl into a hug. "I know you do, sweetheart. I miss my mother too. I know Xena misses her mother. I think we all miss them when they pass on." She gently kissed her on the forehead.

Unexpectedly, Gabrielle felt extreme agony in her body. It was so intense that she let out a wail, scaring Akila. The girl lurched out of her arms and bent over her. "Gabrielle?" Tears formed in her eyes and her chin began to quiver.

The bard curled into a ball and moaned, the trauma racking her body. "Xena!" she screamed as hysterical sobbing overtook her. "No!"

xxxx

It didn't take long for Aphrodite to return. She pulled the bard into her arms and rocked her gently. "I'm so sorry, honey. I wish I could change it." She stroked the bards blonde hair as she began to breathe normally again.

Akila watched as her savior stared into blank space, almost like she was dead. The image reminded her of the last vision of her parents. She couldn't tell if Gabrielle was alive or not. "Aphrodite, is she ok?"

The goddess looked at the small girl with a forlorn expression. "No, squirt. She's not. Xena is not coming back."

Though Akila didn't know Xena, she could tell by how both women talked about her that she held a special place in Gabrielle's heart. "But she needs her."

The observation struck a chord in the goddess' heart. If a small child could tell that one fact, how true must it be? The girl had not even met Xena yet, but she knew that they needed each other. "I know, hon. Why don't you climb up here and take my place? I need to go look into something." Once they had switched places, Aphrodite disappeared.

Akila looked down at her new friend and tears came out of her own eyes. She kissed the bard on the temple and held her tight. Out of nowhere, the little girl started telling Gabrielle a story she once heard. It was an Egyptian child's story that she'd never heard.

Gabrielle turned her worn eyes and looked up at the child. Their eyes met and she knew that this little girl was with there for a reason. Though her heart was in shambles, a small measure of comfort touched her crushed soul as she passed out.

xxxx

"Xena? Wake up, come on." Gabrielle said as she held Xena's hand. They were on the floor. Xena had apparently been unconscious. She blinked her eyes open slowly, revealing the fuzzy outline of her partner.

"Gabrielle?" She said hoarsely.

"No Xena. It's me." A deeper voice boomed, which was somewhat mixed with the voice of her lover. Thoth gently shook Xena. "You need to get up now."

Finally, Xena's eyes cleared. There was no sign of Gabrielle. She had imagined it. The god in front of her did not resemble her partner any longer. "Thoth?"

He pulled Xena to a standing position. She was still in the Hall of Ma'at, surrounded by the Egyptian gods. She blinked a few more times and shook her head to get rid of the fogginess. "What happened?"

Anubis stood next to the scale with Gabrielle's urn in his hands. He lifted the lid, exactly as he had before. It was like déjà vu for Xena. She felt as if everything that had happened had been a dream, though it hadn't been.

Once again, her ashes rose out of the black vase, swirling in the air as it formed the shape of a human heart. Color began to swirl with the ashes as tissue began to develop. It began to beat this time, as if alive. Everyone watched as Anubis guided it to the scale and set it down.

Ma'at took her place as fulcrum and the plates began to move. Xena's breath caught in her throat as she watched the heart move high in to the air. It stopped and stayed still, not flinching once.

"Thoth?" she looked over at him, then Osiris.

"Osiris, what is the verdict that I may write it down in the scrolls?" Thoth said with a small smile at the corner of his lips.

Osiris spoke, "Xena, your heart is found pure."

She looked around, confused beyond hope. "I don't understand. I thought Ammit devoured my heart?" She looked to Thoth for assistance.

"That was the heart of your old soul, Xena. This is the heart of the soul that was reborn. You've been judged completely and you now have a choice." He said, as Ammit disappeared, along with Ma'at, Anubis, and the tribunal. Only Osiris and Thoth remained.

Osiris approached her slowly and set his arms on her shoulders. "By Thoth's command, the choice is yours. It's time for you to explore the options."

Xena shrunk away from the god's hands, "But I already know the options."

Thoth stepped towards her, "Xena, I want you to see the options, not just know them. Let Osiris take you for a moment. Then you can decide."

Without her consent, she disappeared with the god of the Underworld.

xxxx

They reappeared in a very calm and serene environment. Small roads led past fields in which were being plowed by people. However, the labor seemed to be easy, instead of straining. Xena's felt light; all of the worry of her previous life was gone, replaced by a feeling of intense belonging and love.

She walked through a field of green, heading towards the trickle of water that she could hear in the distance. As she walked, she saw kids running and playing games. The giggles that rang out in the air caused her joy.

She found the stream and bent to touch the water. It was the perfect temperature for anything she could think of. She realized that she had forgotten everything of her past, except the one good thing; Gabrielle. "Gabrielle!" She suddenly yelled, looking around hoping that her partner was nearby.

Osiris appeared, "She is not here."

"I should feel a void without her here." Xena commented, looking around. "What's wrong with me? I only feel good things."

"You'll never forget her, but here all anxiety, fear, and loss are nonexistent."

He nodded his head and they both disappeared and reappeared back in the room. "Are you going to show me oblivion somehow too?" She raised her eyebrow, challenging him to somehow show her that.

"There would be no point because you would not be aware of it."

Thoth approached her, "What did you think of the Field of Reeds?"

"It was amazing. I've never felt so free." She closed her eyes and re-imagined the incredible experience. She smiled, feeling utterly content. The fields felt right to her, like she was meant to be there.

"Have you made your decision?"

Eyes still closed, she responded, "Yes. We need to tell Gabrielle."

Her surroundings turned black and void once again, and then she landed hard on the ground, right outside of Gabrielle's room at the inn.

xxxx

Aphrodite had been in the room for several hours. She had tried to find out what happened to Xena, but was unable to access the gods of Egypt. She sat in a rocking chair, watching the sleeping form of her friend and the new little girl.

Then, she felt something supernatural happening outside the door to the room. Cautiously, she crept to the door to find if she could hear something going on outside it. A knock scared her, causing her to jump backwards.

The goddess squealed when she opened the door to meet blue eyes. "Xena!" She jumped forward and threw herself into the tall woman's arms. Surprisingly, Xena returned the hug.

After they parted, she looked around the room. "Where is Gabrielle?" She walked into the room and frantically looked around. She spotted the little girl in the bed with a blonde head lying on her lap. She smiled when she realized it was her lover. Then she pointed to the girl and mouthed to Aphrodite, "Who is that?"

The goddess waved her over and whispered, "Her name is Akila. Gabrielle found her on the streets and couldn't leave her there alone. Are you going to go wake Gabrielle?" The goddess could sense that something serious was up with her friend.

Xena glanced over and saw movement in the darkness of the room. It came from under the covers.

"Xena?" she heard a quiet voice coming from that direction.

Xena ran across the room and kneeled on the floor next to Gabrielle. "I'm here, sweetheart."

Gabrielle sat up abruptly, "Am I dreaming?" she said with a sob as she began to cry.

Xena quickly wrapped her arms around her and pulled her onto her lap. Then she held her tighter than she had ever held her, tears streaming down the face of both women. "We need to talk."

She became worried at the tone in which Xena had spoken. "What do you mean? You passed right? I mean you are here!" Her guts rolled with anxiety and fear about the next words that could come from Xena's mouth. _Or is this goodbye?_

Xena smiled to try and calm her partner. "Yes, I passed. However, they gave me a decision. Gabrielle…" she started as she stroked the bards head, "I really need you to understand why I made the decision I made. My choices were: Field of Reeds, oblivion, or life on earth."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Don't worry baby birds… I'll feed you.**

**Weighing of the Heart**

Chapter 10

By Jinxie

Gabrielle stopped breathing as she waited for Xena to explain this decision.

Xena tried to begin, but her emotions choked her voice.

The bard reached out and stroked Xena's face, trying to comfort her. "Tell me, please." Her voice cracked on the last word.

With a renewed strength from the bard's touch, she began. "I was taken to the Field of Reeds. I have never felt such joy and peace in my soul. All fear, anxiety, and remorse were gone. I am finally free of everything that has plagued me in my lifetime."

Gabrielle looked into her lover's eyes and watched them light up as she described the feelings. She took a sharp breath, "Then I am happy for you, Xe. I'm glad you have finally found peace. It's all I've ever wanted for you. I hope you know that. I think it was a good decision." She nuzzled her face into Xena's neck. "So this is goodbye then." It wasn't a question for her anymore. It was a fact. She would never see Xena again.

Xena smiled warmly, then pushed Gabrielle away from her cozy position. She looked down into her eyes. "It's goodbye to the Field of Reeds. I choose you."

Gabrielle lost her tongue for a moment of time, astonished at the revelation. She was sure that Xena chose peace. "But…but…I don't understand? Why would you do that?" She felt a small amount of anger rising in her voice.

Aphrodite snapped her fingers, causing Akila and herself to disappear. They needed to be alone and she didn't want them waking the young one. Neither the bard nor warrior even noticed.

"Don't be upset, love. You need to understand something. Yes, I found peace there. Yes, it was the most amazing feeling in the world. It had everything I should ever want. The only thing it didn't have was you. And you are everything to me."

"I'm not that big of a deal Xena! This was everlasting life in a realm that you've been trying to get to since before I met you. Why did you throw it all away?"

"You are the only thing that my life has been worth living over. Yet I have chosen so many things over you in the past, Gabrielle. That last time was the last. I will never again put redemption over you. I will never again put saving people over you. Yes, it's the right thing to do to save people. But you are more important to me than anyone."

"Oh Xena. I'm happy, but also very confused. I feel like you should have chosen differently."

"I have promises to keep with you, Gabrielle." She kissed her on the lips as she held her close.

"Promises?"

"That I won't leave you again, that we will settle down, and that we will raise a family together. I intend to keep these promises."

"No more wandering?" Gabrielle asked in surprise.

"No." Xena gently kissed Gabrielle's face and neck, inhaling the scent of her partner. Meanwhile, Gabrielle digested all that had happened while simultaneously soaking in the feel of her lover.

Xena lips gently sucked on her earlobe and then stopped. She whispered into her ear, "Gabrielle, will you marry me?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Weighing of the Heart**

Chapter 11

By Jinxie

Xena's breath stopped after she asked her question. She pulled away from Gabrielle's ear to look her partner in the eyes. The blonde's nose was crinkled as she smiled, tears running down her cheeks. "Yes! Of course I'll marry you!"

Xena smiled; her blue eyes brighter than ever. She stood up and picked Gabrielle up out of the bed. Xena swung her around in circles. The bard laughed and squealed as they traded kisses between 'I love you's. Gabrielle couldn't take her eyes off Xena, nor could she let her go.

Aphrodite and Akila reappeared in the room and they both giggled as they watched them reunite.

After a moment, Akila spoke up. "Gabrielle?" The two adults stopped their kissing and spinning to bring their attention to the little girl. "Is that Xena?" She pointed directly at the tall warrior.

Xena set Gabrielle back onto her feet, "I think an introduction is needed, my love."

Gabrielle grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the girl. "Yes, sweetheart. This is Xena. She's my best friend."

Xena squatted down so that she was eye to eye with the small brunette girl. She noticed that her eyes were the color of honey, just a slight bit darker and richer. "Hi. It's nice to meet you, Akila." She reached her hand out and patted the girl on the head. "I'm sorry we woke you up. It's the first time I've seen Gabrielle in a long time, so we were very excited."

"I know." The girl said, then she rubbed her eyes again.

Gabrielle noticed how sleepy the girl looked, so she bent down and picked her up, "Go back to sleep, honey. We'll be quiet and see you in the morning, ok?" The girl did not waste another moment. As soon as Gabrielle set her on the bed, she lay back down and buried her head into her pillow.

Xena looked at her bard and smiled. She held out her hand for Gabrielle and they went out of the room with Aphrodite behind them. "Aphrodite, would you mind"

"Not at all," the goddess interrupted her. "You two go get another room and I'll stay with the little one. "

xxxx

Gabrielle and Xena didn't sleep most of the night; they spent the time making love, talking, and basking in each other. They finally falling asleep right before dawn. Later, the hot noonday sun beat down on them through the window in their new room. Xena opened her eyes to see the face of her lover, who was still asleep. She noticed that Gabrielle seemed to have aged over the last few months. Her cheeks were sunken in slightly, she had lines around her eyes, and she was much thinner than before.

Xena reached up with her finger and stroked the blonde's temple, coaxing her awake. Green eyes blinked open and a smile caressed her mouth. "Morning, Xe." She blinked a couple more times, then exhaled, "I never thought I'd say that again."

"Me neither, but I'm glad. I love you so much." Her finger continued to caress Gabrielle's face.

The bard wiggled closer to the warrior and nuzzled her face into her warm neck. She nibbled at the skin and kissed it softly. "We should probably get up now, huh?"

Xena wrapped her arms around the bard and held her tight, "Just a minute more."

xxxx

The minute turned into a couple of hours. Most of their time was spent staring at each other, sharing kisses, and cuddling; exactly what they needed. After the third grumble of her stomach, Gabrielle decided they better get up to eat and move on with their life.

As they were dressing, Xena thought maybe she should ask Gabrielle another very important question. "So, what do you think of settling down here in Egypt? We could help some of the crime maybe."

Gabrielle looked at her and winked, "Sounds like fun to me. As long as we have a home to come back to everyday and as long as we start working on a family."

"I think you are already one step ahead of me on that one, Gabrielle." Xena smiled with a twinkle in her eye.

Gabrielle stopped in the middle of putting on one of her boots. "Akila?"

The warrior nodded, "Seems to me that she has already fallen for your charms and that she needs a home." Xena finished getting dressed then walked over to Gabrielle, who had fallen quiet. "What are you thinking about?"

Gabrielle looked up with tears in her eyes, "I just couldn't leave her there, Xe. She was in the streets with prostitutes, learning to become one of them! She offered herself to me like that, but I could tell she was miserable and not wanting to be there."

"I'm glad you rescued her from that life, Gab. I would say that it was meant to be. I can tell that she already looks up to you for helping her. Why don't we ask her if she'd like us to be her parents?"

"She already wants that. She asked me if I would be her new mother." Gabrielle stood up and ran her fingers through her hair, which had been sticking up all over the place. "Ugh, I need a bath."

Xena wrapped her arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "Come on, let's get us something to eat and find that kid."

xxxxx

The first stop they made was their other room, which was empty. "Hmm.. Aphrodite?"

A flash of pink and sparkles surrounded them as the goddess appeared with Akila next to her. "Gabrielle!" the little girl's eyes lit up as she lunged forward and hugged her.

The bard returned the hug, "Hey kiddo. Want to get something to eat with us?" the little girl nodded furiously. "Alright! Let's go." They walked out the door hand in hand leaving Xena and Aphrodite in the room.

Xena had a silly grin on her face, causing the goddess to squeal. "I'm glad you FINALLY popped the question, warrior!" She punched Xena in the arm lightly.

"Me too. Thanks for everything, Aphrodite. I appreciate you helping her and watching out for her while I was gone." She brought the goddess into a huge hug, surprising the blonde.

"No problem. I'm going to take off now, let me know if you girls need anything." With a twinkle in the air, she was gone.

xxxx

Xena ran down the stairs, her steps light and full of bounce. She'd never felt so good in her life. She hadn't yet told Gabrielle, but all the sins of her past were gone. She had been released from the darkness, released from the weight of suffering. She was free.

She saw her two girls sitting at a table, food already in front of them. A plate was on the opposite side of Gabrielle, waiting for her. This was her family now. The addition of the girl brought joy to her heart. She enjoyed watching the interaction between her lover and their new daughter.

"That looks great!" She beamed as she sat across from them. "Is it as tasty as it looks?" She asked Akila, happy that the child seemed to accept her.

"It is! I already ate with Auntie Dite, but I'm still hungry. My favorite is the potatoes right there."She said as she pointed to Xena's plate.

"Auntie Dite?" Gabrielle asked.

"That's what she told me to call her. I could call her something else, if you want Gabrielle."

"Speaking of names, we have a question for you Akila." Xena said as she took a bite of food, enjoying the rich spices of the Egyptian culture. "How would you like to be part of our family? Be our daughter?"

Gabrielle stopped in mid-bite, surprised that Xena brought it up so soon. She watched the girl's face as she thought through the question. The girl looked between Gabrielle and Xena. "You would both be my mothers?"

Gabrielle nodded and smiled, "Of course, you can all us what you wish. If you don't feel right about calling us mother, then you could call us by our names or whatever you want."

There was a bit of suspense in the air; neither adult could tell what the child was thinking. Finally, she smiled broadly, "Gabrielle will be mom and Xena will be mother." She picked up her eating utensil and went back to chowing down on food.

Xena and Gabrielle's eyes met and they both smiled at each other. "Good, now that we have that settled, we need to find us a place to live."

xxxx

As they walked around town, Akila showed them around. She pointed out places that her family use to shop and eat. Xena and Gabrielle strolled a few feet behind her, walking hand in hand, both happier than ever before.

"So there is something I need to tell you. I made a deal with Thoth."

Gabrielle's fingers flinched in Xena's hand. "I wondered."

"I promised to help get Egypt back under control. I want your opinion on how to do that." Xena put her arm around Gabrielle's shoulders. "What do you think?"

"Well, like you said this morning, we could help with the crime by kicking some butt. The really do need a girl with a chakrum." The bard smiled and winked at her lover.

"Should we do it undercover, like a vigilante? Or should I join their police force and get paid?"

"Well, we do need to make money somehow. I've been trying to figure out how we were going to pay for a place to live."

Suddenly, she ducked from under Xena's arm as she saw Akila almost get trampled by a horse. She jumped out and snatched her from its path. "Akila, keep your eyes open. You almost got hurt." She lightly scolded the child.

Xena ran up next to them, "Good catch, Gabrielle. I wasn't even paying attention." She leaned down and stroked the girl's hair. "You ok?"

Akila nodded her head, "I'm ok. I didn't see the big horse. I don't like horses."

Xena put her arms around her daughter. "That's ok. Your mom doesn't either. But she got use to them now." She winked at the girl, then smiled up at Gabrielle. "Come on, let's get going. I see some booth's ahead that Gabrielle would love to shop."

xxxx

They had a tiring day, walking the entire town. Akila only lasted about half the day on her feet, before she couldn't keep going. So she rode on Xena's back the rest of the day, eventually calling the warrior her new horsey. Apparently, Akila liked horses if they were Xena.

Once they got back to the inn, Akila took a bath and washed off the grime of the city. "Gabrielle… I mean mom, can you tell me a story?" The bard settled next to her on the bed and recited the story of when they helped teach Tara's town that it was ok to dance. The girl seemed to like the story, chiming in with questions as they went along.

As the story progressed, Xena prepared a bath for her and Gabrielle. She couldn't wait to feel the bard's skin against hers. It felt like it had been so long since they'd shared a bath together. A touch to her shoulder halted her musings. She looked up into soft green eyes, which looked the most content she'd ever seen. "Ready to get cleaned up?"

Gabrielle nodded as she stripped out of her clothing and quietly stepped into the warm tub. "Oh, that's nice. You are coming in too, right?" she whispered, careful not to wake the sleeping child.

Xena nodded and took off her clothing as well, then dipped into the warm water. "Mm." She dunked her head under the water and then made her way over to Gabrielle. She laid her body over the bards, tummy touching tummy, resting her head on Gabrielle's chest. "Are you happy?"

"Never been happier." Gabrielle responded as she ran her fingers lightly over Xena's back. "So, I was thinking. Maybe you should talk to the local government and see what they would like for you to do. They might have an idea. Or we could go to the capitol and talk to the Pharaoh."

"Sounds like a plan to me." She gently kissed Gabrielle on the breast and let out a sigh of contentment.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry it has taken us awhile to update the other story, Rewriting the Scrolls. The update should come sometime today! My wife has been working on it for two weeks and has had to work through some writers block. :)**

**Weighing of the Heart**

Chapter 12

By Jinxie

"XENA!" Gabrielle screamed at the top of her lungs, causing Xena to jump out of bed and grab her sword. She looked at her fiancé in the dark and saw nothing around the room.

"Gabrielle, are you ok?" Xena knelt on the bed and observed the sweat soaked bard, who was now sitting up panting. From the ground below, Akila began to cry. Xena climbed off the bed and picked the little girl up. "Hey, it's ok. Gabrielle was just having a bad dream." She rubbed her gently on the back as the girl clung to her.

Gabrielle stood up in the bed and hugged both of them tightly. "I'm sorry I scared you, sweetheart. I'm ok. Everything is ok."

"Want to sleep with us?" Xena asked, knowing what the answer would be. The girl nodded and hopped out of her arms and onto the bed. Xena immediately pulled Gabrielle over into a hug. "You ok?"

Gabrielle was shaking, "Yeah. I think so. I dreamt about your body hanging.." she couldn't finish her sentence. The dream was not just any nightmare; it was a memory of seeing Xena's body hanging, decapitated.

"It's ok. I'm here now, safe and sound." She guided Gabrielle under the covers then climbed in on her side of the bed. The both hugged Akila and let her sleep in between their arms, all the while staring into each other's eyes until they dozed off.

xxxx

Waking up the next morning was rough for the blonde bard. She hadn't slept well all night, tossing and turning as she pictured Xena's lifeless form. Xena was up already, dressed in her normal brass breast plate with brown leather battle dress.

Akila was sitting on the floor with Xena, eating breakfast and drinking tea. "Morning." Gabrielle called from the bed.

Both sets of eyes looked over to her and smiled. "Morning mom! Mother said that she is going to go out and save people today. Can I go too?"

Gabrielle chuckled, "No honey. You and I are going to study. I need you to help me learn to write in Egyptian. And I'm going to teach you Greek." She sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

"Did you get any more sleep?" Xena asked as she approached.

"No, I tossed all night." She took the cup of tea that Xena offered to her. "Thanks, hon." She stood up and stretched then took a sip of the warm tea. There wasn't much flavor to it so she made a face.

"I know, it's not as good as yours. You are running low on supplies in your bag." She motioned to the corner where Gabrielle had left her travel bag and scrolls. "So I didn't use as much of the leaves as normal."

"Well, we better get more money somehow huh?" She leaned over and kissed Xena on the lips. "Mm. I'm so glad you are here right now. I don't know if I can let you go out there alone, Xe."

Xena set her mug down and wrapped her in a hug. "If you want to come you can. Maybe Auntie Dite can watch her, huh?"

She considered the offer for a moment, very enticed by the sound of it. "No, it's alright. We've practically locked ourselves inside for a week now. It's time to get out and find work." She slapped Xena on the butt, "So get moving, Warrior Princess."

A small gasp came from the other side of the room causing both women to look over. "Mother, are you a real Princess?"

Both women laughed heartily, then Gabrielle ran over and hugged her new daughter. "No it's just a nick name. Now, let's scoot her out the door so we can get to studying. Maybe if you are luckily, I'll tell you a story of Xena being the Warrior Princess."

Xena rolled her eyes, then picked her sword off the table. It was the first time she'd held it since she became mortal again. It was a strange feeling, which was surprising to her. The weight felt different somehow. It seemed to look different as well. "Gabrielle, did you do something to my sword?"

"Nope. I mostly used my Katana to fight. Your Chakrum is in my bag."

Xena put the sword down to retrieve the round weapon. She could feel its power as she held it in her hand. She rotated it around, then broke apart the two sections, holding one in each hand.

Akila came up and tapped her on the side, "What's that?" She pointed up at the weapon, her eyes wide in curiosity.

"This is a weapon. It's very sharp." Xena squatted down on the ground next to her. "See here, this edge? It's so sharp it will cut you if you touch it. You must not ever touch this ok? Or you will get hurt."

The little girl instantly put her hands behind her back then examined it with her eyes only. "Is it heavy?"

Xena smiled, "Not very heavy, at least for Gabrielle and I."

From across the room, Gabrielle hollered, "Don't forget to tell her about the sword."

Xena turned around and fetched her broad sword from the table. She pulled it out of the sheath and laid it across her hands. "This is very sharp too. Right here on the edge and the point." Xena touched it to illustrate. It pricked her finger and blood bubbled up. "See?" She held it for the little girl to see.

Akila became pale at the sight of the red liquid, her body froze in place. Gabrielle ran over and turned Akila away from Xena, scowling at the warrior. "What? How was I supposed to know she is scared of blood?" As Gabrielle tended to the little girl with sips of water, Xena attached her weapons and headed towards the door. "Alright, ladies. I'm going to go kick some butt around her. Wish me luck."

Gabrielle quickly walked across the room and engulfed the warrior in a hug. "Please come back to me. Don't you dare do anything that could possibly get you killed. It's ok to back off sometimes." She pulled away and stood on her toes to offer a kiss.

Xena didn't hesitate to meet her half way, capturing her in a searing kiss. When they finished, she smiled at Gabrielle, "Don't worry. I won't. I didn't get through the underworld just to go back. I'll be back tonight, hopefully with a job."

xxxx

Her plan was simple; stroll around town and stop crime, take the bad guys to the local jail, and then get a job there. She chuckled inside at how easy this would be for her. As she kept a keen eye on her surroundings, she thought about all that had happened to her recently. It was an amazing feeling to not be bogged down with the heaviness of her guilt and remorse. She felt like she use to before Lyceus died.

Around the corner, she spotted a man stealing fruit from a stand. This was her first opportunity to help out the community. She jogged towards him, ready to pounce. The moment he saw her, he turned tail and ran the opposite direction. She picked up her pace to a sprint, catching up to him in moments. She grabbed him by the collar of his tunic and pulled him backwards.

"Did you forget your money?" She loomed over him, as he was quite short. He looked at her and pulled his fist back to punch her. However, she immediately stopped him and put his hands behind his back. "Alright, let's go." She pushed him from behind and guided him to where the local jail was located.

They walked in the door and she pushed him through. "Caught this man stealing. Any takers?"

A very large, menacing man approached her. "Who are you?"

"Who's askin?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

The man's lips flinched, then he smiled. "WE only lock up serious criminals. WE don't have room for thieves." He looked over at the subject of the conversation, "You are free to go."

The thief quickly scampered out of the jail, glaring at Xena as he went past. She looked at the obnoxiously big man standing in front of her. She clucked her tongue, "Alright." She smiled at him, her lips tight in a forced expression. "I'll be back."

She walked out the door and back into the streets. "Crap."

xxxx

Gabrielle was spent, her brain overloaded, and her emotions on edge. Partway through the day, an unwanted thought flashed in her mind. Once again, it was Xena hanging in Japa. She watched Akila play on the ground with toys they had made over their week of seclusion.

Around evening, she heard a noise at the door. She hopped up from the ground and went to look in the hallway. Just as she was about to open the door, Xena walked in with a grumpy look on her face.

The warrior was instantly engulfed in a tight hug from her bard. She returned it and kissed Gabrielle on top of her head. "I needed this."

Gabrielle looked up, "You did? What's wrong?" She became worried when she realized how upset Xena looked. She pulled Xena in then shut the door behind her. "Come on, let's get this stuff off you."

Xena walked over to Akila and rubbed her head with her hand. "Hey squirt. Did you have a good day?" She continued walking over the bed and plopped herself down.

Gabrielle immediately began to help her unfasten the buckles to remove the brass plates. Akila came over to see if she could help. "Do I pull on this one?" she pointed to a buckle under Xena's arm.

"Yes, that one just needs to be pulled." Gabrielle chimed in.

"Hey, you didn't answer my question." Xena looked at the little girl.

Akila looked up under her dark bangs, "I don't like school stuff. I want to be out playing." She was trying to pull the leather strap to release the buckle, but it wouldn't come loose. Gabrielle walked over to help her.

"What do you like to play?" Xena asked, her eyes sparkling.

Akila scrunched her face, "I don't know! Just kid stuff." She walked back over to her pile of homemade toys on the ground. "I want to be outside with you."

Xena looked up at Gabrielle. "Maybe we could go out for an adventure." The last of the armor was finally off so Xena immediately grabbed Gabrielle and pulled her onto her lap. "What do you think?"

Gabrielle pretended to thing for a moment. "Hmm, but I have sooo much to do around here!" They both looked around at the room, which was spotless except for the toys currently being played with.

Xena cocked her eyebrow at Gabrielle. "Uh huh."

"Alright! I give. Let's go play in the river!"

xxxx

It was a fairly short walk to the Nile River. Many kids were playing in it, but their families were all close by to keep a close watch on the children. Crocodiles were known to attack humans for a meal.

Xena and Gabrielle perched themselves on a rock and watched as their new addition played with kids her age. The girl seemed to light up being outdoors. "Maybe I should take our schooling outside from now on. She might not pout so much."

"That could work. Just make sure you bring water and snacks. Kids like to eat a lot." Xena smiled, "Just like you."

Gabrielle glared at her then smiled. "So tell me about your day."

Xena moaned, "Let's just say that I was a fool to think it would be easy. I'm going to have to get more creative tomorrow."

The bard just stared at her.

Xena winked, kissed her on the forehead, then put her arm around the bard's shoulders. "I can't wait to marry you."


End file.
